[press release]
Big Blue Marble Bookstore Announces Author Events and Workshops with a special Children’s Reading on 1/28/2012.
PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 6, 2012) – Celebrating its sixth year in business, Northwest Philadelphia’s independent bookstore, Big Blue Marble Bookstore continues to offer a variety of opportunities for writers and book lovers of all ages to join in on discussions and deepen their reading experiences. In January the store will host a variety of author events catering to adults, teenagers and children interested in cultivating their reading and writing skills in the new year. [A full schedule of events follows below.]
Four local authors will share their life experiences and literary talents during back-to-back book readings and discussions later this month. Philadelphia-based author Bettina Hoerlin will share the true story of her parents’ journey from Nazi Germany to the United States on Friday, January 20 at 7 p.m. with a reading of her first book, Steps of Courage. This memoir is based on Hoerlin’s discovery of 500 love letters between her parents against the backdrop of a dangerous and unpredictable time in history. Then on Saturday, January 21 from 3—4:30 p.m., three area writers will share excerpts from their books during Local Author Day. The works include a fiction novel by Nate House, a self-help tome by Edie Weinstein and a non-fiction guide for families by Tiffany Rae Reid.
In a featured event, Big Blue Marble’s Writer-in-Residence Minter Krozter is hosting a French reception for author Jamie Cat Callan on Monday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. Guests can enjoy sparkling wine, pate and cheese while listening to Callan discuss her latest book Bonjour, Happiness! as part of the Writers and the Process series. Accustomed to the American pursuit of happiness, Callan traveled all over France interviewing hundreds of women to find their secrets to living a well-balanced life, enjoying more with less, and keeping stylish and sexy through middle age and beyond. Callan is the author of French Women Don’t Sleep Alone, which has been translated into ten languages.
Big Blue Marble Bookstore is located at 551 Carpenter Lane in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. Store hours are Mon-Wed 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Thurs-Fri 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., and Sat-Sun 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The store will be closed for inventory from Jan. 1 through Jan. 6. For more information, call (215) 844-1870 or visit www.bigbluemarblebooks.com.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (click here for more info, directions, etc.)
Events are free unless otherwise noted.
Friday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
Steps of Courage reading with author Bettina Hoerlin.
Hoerlin’s vibrant, engaging memoir about the remarkable people who became her parents was sparked by her discovery of the more than 500 love letters that her mother Kate Tietz Schmid and her father, Herman Hoerlin, a leading German alpinist, wrote to each other in Germany between the years of 1934 and 1938. Herman and Kate’s story is a tale of love, terror, and adventure that chronicles their struggle to subvert the Nazi edict that forbade Kate, a Jew, to marry Herman, an Aryan, and escape to America to build a new life together.
Saturday, Jan. 21, 3—4:30 p.m.
Local Author Day. Big Blue Marble’s salute to local literary talent returns with three diverse and fascinating writers.
Nate House will read from his novel Float, which details the horrific adventures of a man and woman who leave the coast on a thirty-five foot sailboat in order to save their decaying marriage. House’s short fiction has appeared in Sentenia, Armchair Shotgun and Philadelphia Stories. He’s currently Assistant Professor of English at Community College of Philadelphia.
Edie Weinstein will read from her self-help book The Bliss Mistress Guide to Transforming the Ordinary into the Extraordinary, which invites women and men to become mistresses or masters of their own bliss. Rev Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW, is a Renaissance woman and Bliss Mistress who delights in inviting people to live rich, full, juicy lives.
Tiffany Rae Reid will read from her non-fiction work Color Blind: A Mixed Girl’s Perspective on Biracial Life, a guide for families, caregivers and educators which details her own experiences growing up as a biracial child struggling to develop her own unique racial identity. Tiffany Rae is the Founder and CEO of Life Coaching with Tiffany Rae, a brand of life coaching that seeks to erase colorblindness from every family raising biracial children.
Monday, Jan. 23, 7—8:30 p.m.
Reading and reception with author Jamie Cat Callan.
Hosted by Minter Krozter. Jamie Cat Callan is the author of French Women Don’t Sleep Alone, the forthcoming Bonjour, Happiness!, and the creator of The Writers Toolbox. She has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column and the Missouri Review. Callan is an inspirational speaker, a Francophile and an unabashed romantic. Her literary awards include the The Massachusetts Council on the Arts Grant in Fiction, and The Goldwyn Award in Screenwriting. She’s held artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation and VCCA International Fellowships in Germany and most recently, Auvillar, France. The reception will include sparkling wine, pate and cheese.
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7:15 – 8:30 p.m.
Life Stories Book Group
Hosted by local writer Minter Krotzer, the Life Stories Book Group is designed for writers, but all are welcome. The group will read and discuss mostly memoirs, both contemporary and classic, focusing on the writing and structure as well as content and narrative. January’s book is Dog Years by Mark Doty.
Thursday, Jan. 26, 7 p.m.
Big Blue Young Adult Book Discussion
January’s open discussion group for adults who read YA and teens who like to talk about books will focus on Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti by Frances Temple.
Saturday, January 28, 1:00pm.
Slide! & The Gingerbread Gift reading with author Cynthia Kreilick.
Slide! invites children to coast with Samira down one of the best slides in town! This bilingual children’s book in both English and Spanish, features the historic wooden slide at Smith Playground in Philadelphia. Cynthia Kreilick’s newest book The Gingerbread Gift captures the true spirit of giving. It’s the story of a gingerbread man who builds a gingerbread house in the forest for his best friend. Both books are recommended for children ages 3-7. Special craft to follow!
Sunday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m.
Cancer Healing Odyssey reading and discussion with author Sarto Schickel.
In 2007 Sarto Schickel’s wife Sun Hee was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer. Thus began an incredible odyssey for Sun Hee, Sarto and their daughters Arianna and Julianna. Sun Hee used both conventional and alternative medicine with an embrace of Macrobiotic and Gerson methods including a trip to Mexico. Four and a half years later Sun Hee is living a normal life, a rare outcome in medical history. Sarto Schickel lives in Philadelphia and is a partner in an architecture and design firm. He is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree and the University of Pennsylvania with Masters in Architecture. NBC 10 did a recent interview with Schickel that will air on Comcast Channel 248 and Verizon Channel 460 on January 7th at 8am & 4pm.
Tuesday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.
Women of the World Book Club with Maleka Fruean
This monthly book club reads international and multicultural women writers, both fiction and non-fiction and meets the last Tuesday of each month. January’s book is Create Dangerously by Edwidge Danticat, which is also this year’s One Book, One Philadelphia selection of the Philadelphia Free Library.
About Big Blue Marble Bookstore
Big Blue Marble Bookstore is an independently owned bookstore located in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. The store specializes in progressive and multicultural titles including smart, fun fiction; children’s books and toys; woman-centered pregnancy and parenting; sustainable living; lesbian/gay, African-American, and Jewish studies; feminist science fiction; and literary graphic novels.
